Combination-trunk.



PATENTED JUNl1 20, 1905.

H. ROMNDER. COMBINATION TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1904,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT EEICE.

HERMANN EOMI'INDEE, oF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

COMBINATION-TRUNK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,731, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed July 19, 1904;. Serial No. 217,163.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMANN ROMNDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combination-Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trunks, boxes, portmanteaux, and other receptacles intended for the transportation 'of personal effects, merchandise, &c.; and the object of my invention is to provide a plurality of complete receptacles each an entity in itself and all so arranged and adapted as to be capable of fitting together with the general appearance andportability of a single receptacle, as a trunk or the like.

IVith this object in view my improvement may be briefly described as follows: I provide a lower trunk-section comprising the usual receptacle, hinged cover, internal and external fittings, but the top of said cover having a smooth flat surface. Upon said lower section I place an upper section corresponding to the lower section, but having its base-surface smooth and fiat to snugly fit upon the top of' the lower section. I may also provide one or a plurality of intermediate sections, each having both top and bottom smooth and fiat, whereby one or more thereof may be placed upon the top of the lower section and support the upper section. The complete combination trunk thus assembled, whether it comprises two or more sections, may be held together by suitable engaging means and securely bound with straps or bands of suitable material, thus being conveniently portable as a single package. The advantage of a package of this character is that the effects of several persons may be transported unitedly, while upon arrival of the package at its destination the several sections, which may each contain the effects of one person, may be segregated, the convenience of each person being subserved, because his effects are thus contained in a separate inclosure.

In the drawings accompanying this application, Figure l is a perspective elevation of my improved combination-trunk as composed of four trunk-sections assembled and contrunk-sections.

nected together. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the center of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective elevation of two trunk-sections as assembled and connected. Fig. 4E is a perspective elevation of a single upper trunksection. Fig. 5 is a perspective elevation of a single lower trunk-section, and Fig. 6 is a perspective elevation of a single intermediate trunk-section.

In said figures the letter A indicates an upper trunk section or complete indivi-dual trunk, B a lowertrunk-section or complete individual trunk, and C an intermediate or each of a plurality of intermediate individual Each of said sections or individual trunks is provided with means, as c, for holding its cover closed upon the receptacle portion and with means, as a lock I), for locking said closure. Where two or more of said trunk-sections are placed togethcrfor the purpose of forminga single package thereof, they are united by suitable means-such,

for instance, as hinged clasps or catches c,

secured near one edge of each trunk-section and adapted ,to engage with an edge of an adjacent trunk-Section. While I have indicated said engaging means as hinged clasps or catches which may be adapted to lock into recesses c', provided in adjacent trunk-sections, yet, as is perfectly obvious, the character of' these devices and their means of uniting with an adjacent trunk-section may be of any suitable character. The said hinged clasps or catches c when not required to be used for fastening adjacent sections together may be folded and locked into recesses provided upon the section to which they are connected, in which manner they will be out of the way when the trunk-section is used as an individual trunk and will also serve to protect the edges of said trunk-section.

In order that a package comprising' two or more individual trunk-sections united in concrete forni may be adapted to withstand the rough handling frequently met with without dismemberment, I may more firmly secure said package by fastening one or morestraps, as D, about said package, and in order to localize the positions olf said straps about the package I provide loops or eyelets, as d, secured to IOO each trunk-section, usually placing one of said loops or eyelets in pairs at the front and back of the trunk-section, said loops or eyelets being alined upon a series of trunk-sections itted together for the passage. of the straps.

For the purpose of reinforcing the receptacle and cover of each trunk-section when closed straps or bands, as E, which may be of half-round forged-steel plate, are provided, being secured to said receptacle and cover, as by nails, screws, rivets, or otherwise and being placed about three sides of the upper and lower individual trunk-sections and about the front and back only of the intermediate trunk section or sections. Thus the straps E extend about the front, top, and back of the upper trunk-section A, the extremities of said straps projecting slightly at the bottom of said section. Straps E are placed at the front and back only of the intermediate section or sections C and have recesses at their upper ends to receive the projecting portions of the straps upon the section A, the lower ends of the straps E on the section or sections C projecting slightly in the manner of the straps about the section A, and the lower section B is provided with the straps E about its front, bottom, and back, the upper ends of said straps being recessed to receive the projecting extremities of the straps upon a superimposed trunk-section.

Placed across the bottom of trunk-section A, upon the top of trunk-section B, and upon both bottom and top of the intermediate trunk section or sections C are thin flat metal bands e, the same being intended to reinforce the surface over which they extend and said bands c being alined with the straps E.

The individual trunks may each be provided with a tray, as F, and with all such other interior fittings and accessories found desirable in a trunk.

While I do not wish to limit myself to the employment of any particular material in the construction of the individual trunk-sections which unitedly comprise my improved combination-trunk, I may construct the same of the same material as and in a corresponding manner to the trunk described in my Patent No. 774,921, dated November 15, 1904.

Corner-plates, as f, are provided for all the corners of the several trunk-sections, said plates being of metal and serving to close otherwise open corners or to reinforce closed corners. Said corner-plates where they extend over the meeting' surfaces of trunk-sections are flat and are provided, respectively, with a recess and a corresponding projection whereby when two trunk-sections are Afitted together they will interlock, preventing the independent shifting of the trunk-sections and assisting in the production of a thoroughlyrigid combination-trunk.

As will be noted upon reference to several figures of the drawings, the top edges of the trunk-section A and the bottom edges of the trunk-section B are preferably curved, as also are the side edges of all the sections, while the meeting surfaces of all the sections are provided with almost or entirely rectangular edges.

Having now described my invention, I declare that what I claim is-- l. An individual trunk adapted to form the lower member of a united assemblage of trunks, and consisting of a receptacle having a cover, and closure devices; the upper surface of said trunk being flat and smooth, a number of half-round metal straps secured across the bottom,front and back of said trunk, and a number of flat metal bands across the top, in alinement, respectively, with said metal straps; and means for connecting said trunk to an adjacent trunk.

2. An individual trunk adapted to form an intermediate member of a united assemblage of trunks, and consisting of a receptacle having a cover, and closure devices; the lower and upper surfaces of said trunk being flat and smooth; a number of metal straps secured across the front, and back of said trunk, and a number of flat metal bands across the top and bottom, in alinement, respectively, with said metal straps; and means for connecting said trunk to an adjacent trunk.

3. An individual trunk adapted to form the upper member of a united assemblage of trunks, and consisting of a receptacle having a cover, and closure devices; the lower surface of said trunk being flat and smooth; a number of half-round metal straps secured about the front, top, and back of said trunk, and a number of flat metal bands across the bottom, in alinement, respectively, with said metal straps.

4. A combination-trunk comprising a plurality of individual trunk-sections, assembled, one upon another, each of said trunk-sections comprising a `receptacle having a cover and closure devices, the opposed surfaces of said trunk-sections being flat and smooth, attaching means, placed near adjacent edges of said sections to unite them, strap-loops, placed in alined position upon each section, and straps passed through said loops, and secured, to reinforce the union between said assembled sections; together with a number of half-round metal straps connected to the exposed surfaces of each of said trunk-sections, and a number of flat metal bands across each of the opposed surfaces of said trunk-sections in alinement with said half-round metal straps respectively.

5. A'combination-trunk comprising a plurality of individual trunk-sections, assembled, one upon another, each of said trunk-sections comprising a receptacle having a cover and closure devices, the opposed surfaces of said trunk-sections being fiat and smooth, cornerplates upon said opposed surfaces, having, re-

IOO

spectively, recesses and projections adapted to interlock, attaching means, placed near adjacent edges of said sections to unite them, strap-loops, placed in alined positions upon each section, and straps passed through said loops, and secured, to reinforce the union between said assembled sections; together with a number of half-round metal straps connected to the exposed surfaces of each of said trunk-sections, and a number of flat metal bands across each of the opposed surfaces of said trunk-sections in alinement with said half-round metal straps respectively.

6. A combination-trunk comprising a lower individual trunk-section whose upper surface is iiat and smooth and which consists of a receptacle having a cover and closure devices, and an upper individual trunksection whose lower surface is fiat and smooth and which consists of a receptacle having a cover and closure devices; both said trunk-sections being arranged to be assembled one upon the other and provided with attaching means placed near adjacent edges of said sections, and with corner-plates at all the corners of said sections, the corner-plates extending over the meeting surfaces of said trunk-sections being iiat and arranged to interlock by means of corresponding recesses and projections provided respectively on said opposed cornerplates.

7. A combination-trunk comprising a lower individual trunk-section, a number of intermediate individual trunk-sections and an upper individual trunk-section, each of said sections consisting of a receptacle portion, a cover and closure devices; the upper surface of said lower section and the lower surface of said lower section and on all the corners of the intermediate sections being substantially fiat and arranged to interlock by means of correspondingv recesses and projections provided on said opposed corner-plates respectively.

8. A combination-trunk comprising a lower individual trunk-section, one or more intermediate individual trunk-sections and an upper individual trunk-section, arranged to be assembled one upon the other; each of said trunk-sections comprising a receptacle portion, a cover and closure devices; means secured to adjacent edges of said sections to attach the assembled sections to one another, and plates provided at all the corners of the said sections; the corner-plates extending over the meeting surfaces of said trunk-sections being' Hat, and provided, respectively, with recesses and corresponding projections; a number of half-round metal straps secured to the front and back of each of said sections, and to the top of the upper and the bottom of the lower trunk-section, and a number of flat metal bands secured to and reinforcing the meeting surfaces of said trunk-sections.

HERMANN ROMNDER.

Witnesses:

CARL S. FiEDLER, PAULA RosEMARK. 

